


Love Is A Two Way Street

by connorssock



Series: On His Terms [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gavin is still an asshole, M/M, Non-explicit wireplay, They kind of succeed, Two idiots try to fall in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 13:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16368302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connorssock/pseuds/connorssock
Summary: Gavin had never been good at accepting anything good in life gracefully. It's just as well Nines is a quick study in figuring things out.





	Love Is A Two Way Street

Despite everything that Gavin threw at him, Nines stuck around. It was the least obtrusive, barely noticeable thing that almost slipped by him. Nines didn’t follow him home like a lost puppy, didn’t pull an overbearing parenting act and breathed down Gavin’s neck either. He didn’t even go to the hospital with Gavin when the cast came off his arm. In a way it was a relief, Gavin could shamelessly demand he keep his cast without a knowing look from anyone. Nobody had to know that he took it home wrapped in his coat and placed it on his coffee table like some weird memento of a friendship he didn’t realise he fell into.

Even though the cast came off, Nines didn’t change his behaviour. Slowly Gavin could discount guilt as the reason he gained a fan club that consisted of a single android. It didn’t make sense though. Nobody stuck around out of freewill before and there was no reason for Nines to do so either. Nevertheless, each morning Gavin would be greeted with a soft “morning Gavin” and sometimes there’d be a steaming cup of fresh coffee on his desk.

It was an unspoken rule between them that nothing changed. Gavin still called Nines names while Nines still responded in a cool tone and ignored him for most parts. But that was just the surface of it all. When alone or without an attentive audience, things had softened, there was a tentative friendship that blossomed even as Gavin’s self-doubts tried to strangle such a hope.

                They were working late on a case, Gavin’s lungs burned as he ran after the suspect but the distance between them kept growing. Gradually Nines started pulling ahead and after a stumble over a cardboard box, Gavin admitted defeat. He doubled over and tried to suck harsh breaths into burning lungs as he watched Nines’ back disappear into the distance. Damn androids and their boundless energy.

Less than five minutes later his phone buzzed.

“Yeah?” he picked up without even looking at the ID. It was a matter of pride that he barely sounded winded anymore.

“Nines has the suspect subdued and is requesting your assistance. I’ve pinged you his location,” Miller sounded bored as he relayed the information and Gavin seethed.

“Why the fuck didn’t that plastic prick just call me?”

“Don’t ask me. Work your issues with him out by yourself.”

The line went dead and Gavin almost threw his phone. Temptation to fling the offending piece of technology in front of a passing car dampened to merely mentally flipping everyone off and he decided that the best thing would be to ring Nines and ask, in as civil a manner as possible, what the fuck? Or he would have done except he didn’t have a number to contact Nines on. But it wasn’t like the android had a similar problem; he had access to all of DPD’s database and so Gavin’s number too. Bristling at the thought, Gavin took his sweet time getting back to the car and driving to where Nines and the suspect were meant to be.

“Oi, Duracell Bunny,” he hollered out of the window once he spotted them. Nines looked up and without so much as a hello picked up the suspect and dumped him onto the backseat.

“Thank you for coming.”

The formality jarred Gavin; they were beyond that weeks ago, before even the first blowjob in that meeting room.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he counter attacked, not even trying to tamp down the flames of irritation that coloured his voice.

“I don’t have your number,” a cool reply in the face of his ire and it only made things worse.

“You are a walking, talking DPD database. What, did your search function misfire or did it step over the giant turd that you’ve assigned next to my name?”

“I don’t have your permission.”

Any further argument was robbed of Gavin as he scoffed. Never before had Nines asked for permission. Except for all the times it really mattered but Gavin wasn’t in the mood to count those. He didn’t ask for Gavin’s consent when he got him the sandwich, the cough medicine, gave him his coat. So why was the glorified calculator worried about it now?

“It’s never bothered you before,” he snapped in the end.

“I won’t do anything without your agreement unless it’s a matter of wellbeing and survival. This was neither, so I took the next best route and requested the station’s assistance in locating you.”

Gavin huffed under his breath but didn’t reply. Silence reigned in the car as he took them back towards the precinct.

As they were getting out of the car, Gavin finally let out a grumble under his breath.

“Well, you have my permission to call me then.” He part hoped Nines didn’t hear him but blue eyes flicked to him with a pleased surprise. Gavin pretended he imagined that.

 

                He thought no more of the incident until that evening. Gavin was tracing patterns on the cast, admiring the artwork when his phone buzzed.

“ _May I trouble you for a moment?_ ” The number was unknown but Gavin could guess who it was anyway.

“ _Shoot Tin Can._ ” His reply was sent and barely a moment later there was a knock on his door.

Gavin would deny it until his dying day, but he jumped a mile high. Carefully he placed the cast back on his coffee table and went to see who it could possibly be.

The door opened a crack and Gavin peered through it suspiciously, hand on his gun for added safety.

“I don’t have a gun and have no desire to shoot,” Nines’ voice was no different to usual but Gavin swore he could see the curl of a smile. He opened the door and stared at the arrival on his doorstep.

“When you wanted to know if you could trouble me for a moment I thought you’d message me. Not invade my house,” he groused but was already stepping aside and letting Nines in.

“I will only take a moment of your time if you’re busy.”

The reply was cool and Nines made himself at home in Gavin’s house. The bag he’d been carrying was placed delicately on the coffee table, next to the cast which was left unmentioned. But there was no way Nines hadn’t seen it and if Gavin’s luck was to be believed, he’d already scanned it and seen the residual heat of it being held recently.

“The local takeaway was doing a thirium and pizza combo to celebrate budding android-human relationships. I thought you might appreciate the pizza.”

“Are you trying to tell me what to eat?” Gavin ignored the way his mouth watered at the idea of a food.

“No, I simply thought you might enjoy it. I’ll leave it next to your cast and be on my way.”

The subtle dig about the cast was impossible to ignore and Gavin felt his cheeks flush.

“The hospital forgot to put it in the bin. It got bundled in with my things. I haven’t got round to binning it yet. Bins are taken every other week and it’s only been three weeks since I had it taken off.”

That didn’t make it any better. With a soft curse Gavin walked out into his kitchen and grabbed a plate plus a mug.

“Here,” he thrust the mug at Nines and flopped down onto the sofa. Wordlessly Nines sat down next to him and began to pull things out of the bag. First was a flask of thirium - if Gavin saw correctly it was bubble-gum flavoured but he wasn’t going to ask. It was followed by a bottle of Gavin’s favourite soft drink and a box of heavenly smelling pizza. That was definitely not the cheap and cheerful pizza place Gavin usually used.

“So what made you buy shit you can’t eat?”

Nines levelled him with an even look.

“The offer was too good to resist.”

Gavin didn’t know if he was kidding around or not so he snorted derisively and looked away. The silence stretched between them and Nines started shuffling the pizza box around, finally opening it.

“Plus I wanted to. I thought it might be nice to share a meal with you.”

It was said quietly enough that, if Gavin wanted to, he could pretend not to have heard it. But the timing was all off, he could clearly see through Nines even if the other thought they were being subtle. The same day he got permission to use his number he does exactly that and turns up at his house.

“Was there anything else you wanted?” Gavin asked between bites of pizza. He’d forgone the use of a plate in favour of eating at a breakneck speed. “Usually free food comes with expectations.”

He tried to wink as he ate but suspected it fell somewhat short but Nines’ expression never changed as he poured himself some thirium.

“Want me to blow on your wires or something?” Gavin offered. At least that had Nines ducking his head.

 

That had been an interesting discovery. The first time Nines had pinned Gavin against the wall unexpectedly, he’d retaliated with bared teeth against his neck. That was the only time Gavin had seen Nines flinch. Everything else up until that point had been fair game. The name calling, bossing Nines around, general bullying and making him do menial tasks like photocopying Gavin’s reports when he couldn’t be bothered to do so himself. But in that moment, when his teeth grazed against Nines’ neck just about his stupidly high collar the android had shuddered and pulled away.

It had put a rapid dampener on the mood for that afternoon, their little liaison in the evidence locker cut short by it. Gavin had wanted to ask but didn’t know how to broach it until a few days later.

“So your neck is a no go?” Gavin was about as subtle as a brick to the face but he wasn’t going to change his ways just because the topic might have been a bit delicate. “You always wear high collars. So what gives?”

“It’s,” Nines trailed off, LED spinning yellow with intermittent bursts of red as he tried to think of a lie. “Less advanced androids experience something akin to sexual arousal when their components are manipulated under their neck panels.”

Gavin nodded along with a frown.

“You telling me it’s getting you off?”

Nines shook his head firmly and opened his mouth to continue.

“As I said, less advanced androids. As I’m the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever made, they saw it fit to unburden me of such issues. The collars are there as a reminded of my programming, that not only am I forbidden from removing my neck panels but also prevented from experiencing such pleasures. It is not what I had been made for.”

“Wait,” Gavin held up a hand with a frown, sitting in the precinct car park was probably not the best location for the conversation but they’d started so they were going to finish. “You telling me that you’re not allowed to experience sexual pleasure like other androids. That CyberLife forced you into that collar as a form of a chastity device? Yet they still gave you a functioning dick.”

There was outrage in his voice and while Nines wouldn’t have chosen those exact words to describe his predicament, he did not in tentative agreement. Next to him Gavin continued to swear under his breath.

“Are you capable of feeling any pleasure at all?”

“Some. But self-exploration is highly conflicting with my operating parameters when it comes to my own body.”

Gavin slammed a hand against the steering wheel in anger. A quick glance at the clock and he looked over at Nines.

“Right. You. Out.”

Confused, Nines obeyed and watched as Gavin also hopped out of his seat and promptly opened the backdoor to the car. With an impatient wave he urged Nines in and followed.

“I’m going to give you a new, better reason to wear that stupid collar.”

That was all the explanation he gave before fingers deftly pulled the collar down and lips latched onto Nines’ neck. He didn’t stop until the whites of Nines’ chassis were shining through like bruises and under him Nines’ eyes were glazed over in pleasure.

“Don’t say I didn’t do anything for you,” Gavin had to sour the moment as he clambered out of the steamed up car some twenty minutes later. Nines was slower to follow and walked to the front of the car on coltish legs.

Since then Gavin made a habit of teasing Nines’ collar at every opportunity. He made a point of tugging it each time he walked past Nines’ desk, brushing a finger over the edge of it and delighting in the way it made Nines stop everything he was doing.

“What? Got a glitch in your matrix?” he’d taunt. Interestingly Nines never rose to his goading, merely shivered in his seat and continued to work.

 

It all led to them sitting side by side on Gavin’s sofa and not sure what to do. Somehow things always seemed so much easier when it was simply about sex. Gavin really didn’t want to catch a bout of feelings but recently his immune system had been pretty shoddy.

“Look, if you wanted to get your rocks off you could have just said. No need to wine and dine me like some fine lady.”

“I was rather hoping to actually spend time with you without intercourse. But if you’d feel more comfortable with our interaction if there was a physical element then I would not object to being shown to your bedroom,” Nines’ voice was even as he said it but Gavin squinted at him. Still, he was being offered an easy way out, so he shoved the rest of the pizza away and grabbed Nines’ collar to get him into the bedroom.

He should have expected it really. Gavin was on his back, arms held above his head and pinned in one of Nines’ hands. Above him Nines was fucking into him with a single minded focus that left him breathless. His eyes trailed across his handiwork of white patches that blossomed across Nines’ neck and chest. They formed a glorious trail that his lips had to travel over again and again until he couldn’t focus anymore.

Heat built up in his stomach, curled viciously through him and Gavin broke free of his confines to rake his nails down Nines’ back as he came.

“You’re so beautiful like this,” Nines whispered in his ear. Praise tripped off his lips and sent shivers through Gavin. But it was too much. He wasn’t beautiful, wasn’t a treasure that needed to be savoured, worshipped. The words burned through him and it was almost too much. With a grunt he shoved Nines’ shoulders until the android took the hint and slid off him.

“Good shag, shame about the soundtrack. Seven out of ten,” he had to cheapen the moment as he reached for his phone.

Nines’ LED circled yellow briefly.

“If that’s all the resident pillow princess has to say,” he finally replied and Gavin choked back a laugh.

“I am many things but not a pillow princess!” The objection was loud and harsh in the quiet of the bedroom.

“Prove it,” Nines challenged.

If only Gavin had been one to decline or back down. Instead he felt a certain amount of glee bubble through him at the idea of proving Nines wrong yet again.

It turned out that while Gavin hated being told he’s beautiful it was okay for Nines to whisper filth in his ear about how good he looked spread open for him. How many people would be jealous of Nines and would kill to be in his place.

Praise like that Gavin lapped up with small gasps, each word like a caress against his skin. They lit him up from the inside and Nines seemed to take great pleasure in finding the right words to take him apart.

“I love watching you like this,” Nines confessed into the skin of Gavin’s shoulder, the declaration hidden amongst another truth. It made Gavin’s heart thump viciously in his chest.

“I quite like you in my bed,” he admitted gruffly. But Nines smiled all the same. Over the course of the last who knew how many months he’d become quite fluent in Gavin’s unique way of expressing himself and he was content with everything he was given.

**Author's Note:**

> Still bumbling away on tumblr as @connorssock


End file.
